Hormone Question(s)

[HeatherStrella]

Hey...

 

AnnaBella is quite moody right now. Last year at this time, she was biting me every chance she could. After a while, I could read her body language and avoid getting bitten...most times. One thing she does it, if she goes to step up with her right foot, I know she's going to bite me. She normally steps up with her left. This year, we had one bad weekend, I posted pics of my wounds in the "bite me" thread, and I went back to being careful, reading her body language. Now, she's very clingy. Don't get me wrong, I love it. She likes to perch on my knee and snooze...if I'm lying on my side, she'll perch on my hip and creep up to my neck and kinda nuzzle in. Is the clinginess (is that a word?) part of the hormones? If, for some reason, I can't have her on me and I redirect her to her swing area enough times, she'll stay for a bit. She's being such a good girl, but I'm wondering if it's the calm before the storm. I suppose I should just be thankful. She's even waddling over to my husband sometimes, which she never did before. Once in a while, if my husband and I are sitting together on the sofa and he puts his hand on mine, she'll waddle over and try to nip at his hand. I think it's kinda funny...I know it's not, and I don't reinforce it...but I do think it's funny. I'm bad, I know .

 

Anyway, I guess my question is: is the clinginess from hormones too? And if it is, can I reinforce it so she's still a little more clingy than she is when she's not hormonal? She's normally a pretty independent bird. The vet said that she'd be less independent and more well behaved if we clipped her wings...that's out of the question.

 

Thanks!!

 

Heather

EDIT...by the way, she's also molting right now.<br><br>Post edited by: HeatherStrella, at: 2009/04/07 23:08

[Raposa]

Well heck, it looks like nobody knows the answer to this one, HeatherStrella!! I would imagine that if this behavior change is coming at the same time she exhibited a behavior change last year, there could be a connection . . . but maybe not! These birds are SO sensitive, it is hard to know what they are reacting to! Let us know how she is doing, ok?